Printing-plate.



Patented Feb.9,1909.

v Q @o Wiz ' M. A. DROITGOUR.

PRINTING PLATE.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 27, 1907.

FIG.

FIG. 2

O O O O O O O l FIG. 3

WITNESSES.

( 'v ga/Z MICHAEL DROITCOUR, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

PRINTING-PLATE.

Specification of Letters Patent,

Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

Application led June 27, 1907. Serial No. 381,068.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL A. DROIT- cOUR, a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Im rovement in Printing-Plates; and I do here y declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention relates to printing plates, that is, plates provided with type or other faces to produce impressions in ordinary printing processes.

The object of the invention is to provide a plate for this urpose which is durable, ca-

able of repro ucing with accuracy very iine es and which can be quickly and cheaply made.

In the printing art at the resent time the printing plates are made eit er by the electro-type or stereotype processes, both of which are quiteA expensive and neither 'of which produces a plate of absolutely uniform thickness, so that for iine magazine or book Work it is necessary to resort to the slow and expensive process of building up the plate on the ress cylinder or press bed by placing at the ow spots behind the same thin sheets of a er. Y p ily plate is designed to overcome' the above objections and consists of a plate formed of celluloid or other pyroxylin or similar plastic material. In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a (face view ol the plate; Fig. 2 is a section through the saine showing the same on a very large scale; and Fig. 3 is a similar view of a iiiodiiication.

The plate is preferably formed of celluloid or similar pyroxylin composition, but, if desired, may be ol' hard rubber or other flexible plastic material.

In its preferred forni the plate has the type lace 1 formed oi a thin sheet of the plastic material and with a backing 2 of plastic material applied thereto to strengthen the" saine. The iacc sheet is formed by pressing the same to provide the necessary raised type face and thisresults in forming in the rear lace ol' the sheet depressions corresponding to the raised type characters, as indicated by the cross-hatching in Fig. 2, and also by Fig. 3 which shows a platesimilarly made from a thicker sheet. The thicker sheet has suflicieiit body to stand up under the printing pressure, but the thin sheet is strengthcned by applying to the rear lace theieoil a suitable backing material. This backing may be of the same material as the type face, or any other suitable plastic materia capable of adhering to the face material but leaving the finished plate flexible. Fig. 2 shows the face 1 and backing 2 formed of the similar material; Fig. 3 shows a modification in which the entire plate, both face and backing, isformed from the vsame body, that is, from a comparatively thick sheet of plastic material.

The plate so formed is flexible and can-be used either on a bed press or on a cylinder press. Its margins are preferably depressed, as shown at 3, toprevent printing on the margins, and may be provided with suitable means, such'as the holes 4, for securing the plate to the cylinder or bed of the press. By reason ofits pliable nature the plate can be laid on to the surface oi an' accurately formed cylinder, ty e face' down, and ground or otherwise treated on the back so as to remove surplus material and form a plate of absolutely uniform thickness from its back face to all of itsl ty e points. This enables the same tov be use for iinc press work and without requiring any building up as heretofore necessary. The plate can be quickly and chea ly manufactured, is durable and is adapted or all kinds of printing work, bein capable of reproducing the iinest'lines an getting uniformity of pressure, thus adapting it for fine magazine and similar work, and the plate can be formed with such expedition as to also recommend it for newspaper and similar work.

What I claini is:

l. A printing plate consisting of a thin sheet of plastic composition having printing characters on its front face and having applied to its back a layer of plastic material in intimate adhesion with all arts of the rear face oi said sheet, the who e being a complete and substantially integral flexible plate.

2. A rinting plate consisting oi a thin sheet o printingcharacters on its front face and having app led to lts back a layer of plastic material` 1n intimate adhesion with all parts of the rear face of said sheet, the whole being a cilimplet'e and substantially integral flexible p ate.

3. A printin plate consisting of a thin sheet of pyroxy in composition having printing characters on its'iront face and having a backing of pyroxylin composition adhering pyroxylin composition having v thereto and forming an integral, part therel face depressions corresponding to said char- 20 with.

4. A printing late consisting of a thin sheet of cellulold aving printing characters on its front face and having applied to its back a layer of similar composition in intimate adhesion therewith, the whole forming a complete and substantially integral yiiexible plate.

5. A printing plate consisting of a thin sheet of plastic composition having on its front face the printing characters and on its rear-face depressions corresponding to said characters, and a backing of plastic material -A adhering to said sheet and filling the depressions on the back thereof.

6. A printing plate consisting of a thin l front face printing characters and on its rear f acters, and a backing of lastic material adhering to said sheet an filling the depressions therein.

7. A printing plate consisting of a thin sheet of pyroxylin composition having on its front face printing characters and on its rear face depressions corresponding to said characters, and a backing of pyroxylin composition adhering to said sheet and filling the depressions therein and forming an integral part therewith.

In testimony whereof, I the said MICHAEL A. DROITCOUR have hereunto set my hand.

M. A. DROITCOUR.

Witnesses:

F. W. WINTER, ROBERT C. ToT'rEN. 

